Set of building components for building a plurality of predefined structures

ABSTRACT

A building set includes a plurality of building components. The components may be configured so that one or more predefined structures may be constructed with a set of the components. For example, the set of components may be configured any number of predefined structures may be constructed, such as a table and chairs, a boat, a plane, and so on. The components may be made from a composition including polyolefin. The polyolefin may have a density in the range of about 1 pound per cubic foot (lb/ft 3 ) to about 9 lb/ft 3 . As such, the components are compressible, resilient, and elastic. One or more of the components may include a first retaining element, and one or more of the components may include a second retaining element. The retaining elements are configured to engage together for securing or coupling the components together. For example, the retaining elements may be defined by one or more dimensions, with at least one of the dimensions of one of the retaining elements being greater than a corresponding dimension of the other retaining element. The retaining element with the greater size may be urged or inserted into the other retaining element, thereby being compressed. When received within the other retaining element, the compressed retaining element exerts a spring force, thereby causing the components to be retained by friction between abutting surfaces.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to building components, such as toy blocks. The present invention relates in particular to a set of building components that may be used to build one or more predefined structures.

2. Description of Related Art

Examples of conventional toy building components include wood blocks and wooden Lincoln Logs®. Each of these examples includes a predetermined number of components which may be stacked upon each other and next to each other to build a structure. Gravity essentially keeps the components together.

Other examples of conventional building components are the Lego®-type components. In these building systems, individual components include two types of complementary attachment structure or engagement means. Accordingly, one component can be snapped together with another compatible component. Like the wooden building components, the Lego®-type components are made from material that is inelastic, non-compressive, and non-resilient.

Given the current state of the art, conventional building blocks are designed to attach to each other by predetermined attachment structures (e.g., the Lego®-type attachment structure). Accordingly, such conventional building blocks are unable to be attached to other structurally incompatible building blocks, that is, a Lego® cannot be attached to a wood block. Further, the size of the building components is on the order of a few inches such that a large number of components need to be used to construct a large structure.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a number of embodiments, a building set may include a plurality of building components. The components may be configured so that one or more predefined structures may be constructed with a set of the components. For example, the set of components may be configured so that any number of predefined structures may be constructed, such as a table and chairs, a boat, a plane, and so on. In a number of embodiments, the components may be configured so that the predefined structures are able to support the weight of a person.

One or more of the components may have a first retaining element, and any number of the components may have a second retaining element. One or more of the first retaining elements may include resilient material such that when retaining elements are engaged together, the first retaining element is compressed and applies a spring force against the second retaining element, thereby securing the retaining elements together. The components may be made from a composition including polyolefin. In some of the embodiments, the polyolefin may have a density in the range of about 1 pound per cubic foot (lb/ft³) to about 9 lb/ft³. Accordingly, the components are compressible, resilient, and elastic.

The retaining elements may be defined by one or more dimensions, with at least one of the dimensions of one of the first retaining elements being greater than a corresponding dimension of the second retaining element. Accordingly, the first retaining element compresses while being urged or inserted into the second retaining element. When received within the second retaining element, the compressed retaining element exerts the spring force while under compression, thereby retaining the components together with friction between abutting surfaces. To decouple, the retaining elements may be pulled apart.

One of the advantages of the invention is that because of the resiliency of the material and the configuration of the retaining elements, the components may be connected together by any number of methods. For example, if one of the retaining elements is a rectangular peg, then it can be compressed and urged into a curvilinear socket. When the peg is received in the socket and expands, the two components are secured together. Accordingly, the building components of the invention allow people to utilize their imaginations to build any type of random structure in addition to a predefined structure.

Furthermore, in embodiments in which the components are made from a composition including polyolefin, because of the physical properties of this material, the components may be made relatively large (e.g., on the order of several feet) while still being easy to handle. In addition, the predefined structures made from such components are able to support the weight of a person. Accordingly, people can utilize the predefined structures as furniture and as play structures.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a building set including a plurality of building components according to an example of a commercial embodiment;

FIG. 1A is a perspective view illustrating building components according to a number of embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a predefined structure of some of the embodiments;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another predefined structure of other embodiments;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a pair of building components and respective retaining elements;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a retaining element in some of the embodiments;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a retaining element in other embodiments;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the retaining elements of FIGS. 5 and 6 engaged together;

FIG. 7A is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the engaged retaining elements of FIG. 7;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a retaining element in still other embodiments;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a retaining element in yet other embodiments;

FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view of a curvilinear retaining element engaged with a rectilinear retaining element;

FIG. 10A is a cross-section view taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 1, illustrating a composition according to a number of embodiments;

FIG. 10B is a cross-section view taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 1, illustrating a composition according to other embodiments;

FIG. 10C is a cross-section view taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 1, illustrating a composition according to still other embodiments;

FIG. 10D is a cross-section view taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 1, illustrating a composition according to yet still other embodiments;

FIGS. 11A and 11B are cross-sectional views illustrating steps for attaching components according to some of the embodiments;

FIG. 12 schematically illustrates a resistive heating element;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view illustrating methodology for attaching two components together according to other embodiments;

FIGS. 14A to 14F respectively illustrate steps in constructing an example of a predefined structure;

FIGS. 15A to 15G respectively illustrate steps in constructing another example of a predefined structure;

FIGS. 16 to 23 respectively illustrate examples of predefined structures that may be constructed with a building set of the invention; and

FIG. 24 illustrates a component according to a number of alternative embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring particularly to FIGS. 1 and 1A of the drawings, a building set 100 includes a plurality of building components 102 a, 102 b, 102 c, . . . , 102 z. FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a set 100 of building components 102 in plan view, while FIG. 1A illustrates examples of two of the components in perspective view for clarity. According to a number of embodiments, the components 102 may be configured so that one or more predefined structures may be constructed with a set of the components 102. As discussed in more detail below, the set 100 of components 102 may be configured so that any number of predefined structures may be constructed, for example, furniture (such as chairs, tables, and couches) and play structures (such as ships, forts, cars, and airplanes).

For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the building set 100 may include components 102 that are configured so that a predefined structure 104 a consisting of a table and chairs may be constructed. In other embodiments, the same set 100 of building components 102 may be configured so that a predefined structure 104 b consisting of an airplane may be constructed, such as shown in FIG. 3. The predefined structures 104 will be discussed in more detail below. In addition, any given set 100 of building components 102 may be configured to enable two or more predefined structures 104 to be constructed from the same set 100, for example, the table and chairs of FIG. 2 and the airplane of FIG. 3. Because of the size of the predefined structures 104, in many embodiments the components 102 may be on the order of feet in size and several inches thick.

In a number of embodiments, the components 102 may be made from a composition including polyolefin. In some of the embodiments, the polyolefin may have a density in the range of about 1 pound per cubic foot (lb/ft³) to about 9 lb/ft³. Accordingly, the components 102 possess a number of physical properties that enable the components 102 to be coupled together, including compressibility, resiliency, and elasticity. In many of the embodiments, the composition may include polyethylene.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4, one or more of the components 102, i.e., a first component 102 a, may include a first retaining element 106 a, and one or more of the components 102, i.e., a second component 102 b, may include a second retaining element 106 b. The retaining elements 106 are configured to engage together for securing or coupling the components 102 together.

More specifically, as shown in the embodiments represented in FIGS. 5 and 6, the first retaining element 106 a may include or be configured as a peg 108 and the second retaining element 106 b may include or be configured as a socket 110. As shown in the drawings, the retaining elements 106 may be defined by one or more dimensions, such as width W and height H in the rectilinear embodiments shown.

According to some of the embodiments, the peg 108 may have at least one dimension that is greater than a corresponding dimension of the socket 110. For example, the width of the peg 108 may be greater than the width W of the socket 110 by a predetermined amount α, such that the width of the peg 108 is indicated by W+α. In other embodiments, the height of the peg 108 may also be greater than the height H of the socket 110 by a predetermined amount β, such that the height of the peg 108 is indicated by H+β.

With the greater size in at least one dimension and because of the compressibility of the composition comprising the components 102, while being urged or inserted into the socket 110, the peg 108 is compressed inwardly. In addition, the socket 110 may be compressed outwardly. Accordingly, when received within the socket 110 under compression as shown in FIG. 7, because of the resiliency of the composition comprising the components 102, the peg 108 exerts outward spring force f₁ as shown in FIG. 7A. In return, the socket 110 exerts an inward spring force f₂. Therefore, the peg 108 is retained within the socket 110 by friction between abutting surfaces, as indicated by reference 111 in FIG. 7A. To decouple, the peg 108 may be urged or pulled out of the socket 110 to overcome the frictional forces.

In alternative embodiments, the peg 108 and the socket 110 may be substantially curvilinear as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. In these embodiments, a diameter of the peg 108 may be greater than diameter D of the socket 110, as indicated by D+δ. The particular configurations of the retaining elements 106 shown in the embodiments of FIGS. 5, 6, 8, and 9 are representative of the principles of the invention in that one or more of the dimensions of one of the retaining elements 106 may be greater than one or more of the dimensions of another one of the retaining elements 106. The retaining elements 106 may be configured according to any number of different configurations.

Because of the compressibility of the composition, the curvilinear peg 108 of FIG. 8 may be engaged with the socket 110 of FIG. 6, which is shown in FIG. 9A. In this embodiment, the diameter of the peg 108 may be greater than the width W and/or the height H of the socket 110 so that the peg 108 may be compressed to be received within the socket 110.

Regarding the composition of the components 102 in more detail, reference is made to FIGS. 10A to 10D. According to a number of embodiments, the composition may comprise a single polyolefin 112 as represented in FIG. 10A. As mentioned above, the polyolefin 112 may have a density in the range of about 1 lb/ft³ to about 9 lb/ft³.

In other embodiments, such as shown in FIG. 10B, the composition may include a first polyolefin 114 and a second polyolefin 116. In some of the embodiments, the polythylenes 114 and 116 may be configured as layers, thereby resulting in the component 102 being substantially planar or plank-like. In many embodiments, the second polyolefin 116 may have a density that is greater than that of the first polyolefin 114. For example, in other embodiments, the first polyolefin 114 may have a density less than about 4 lb/ft³, and the second polyolefin may have a density greater than about 4 lb/ft³. Alternatively, the first polyolefin 114 may have a density in the range of about 1 lb/ft³ to about 9 lb/ft³, and the second polyolefin 116 may have a density in the range of about 4 lb/ft³ to about 12 lb/ft³. In still other embodiments, the first polyolefin 114 may have a density in the range of about 1 lb/ft³ to about 2 lb/ft³, and the second polyolefin 116 may have a density in the range of about 6 lb/ft³ to about 9 lb/ft³.

In some of the embodiments, one or both of the polyolefins 114 and 116 may be colored. Having a greater density than the first polyolefin 114, the second polyolefin 116 may be colored more vibrantly or with a greater saturation than the first polyolefin 114. As shown in FIG. 10B, the second polyolefin 116 may be in a layer. In the example described below, the second polyolefin 116 layer may have a thickness in many embodiments ranging from about 1/16 inch to about ½ inch.

With continued reference to FIG. 10B, in a number of embodiments, the composition of one or more of the components 102 may include a third polyolefin 118. The density of the third polyolefin 118 may range from about 4 lb/ft³ to about 12 lb/ft³. Accordingly, the components 102 may be made from a composition including a plurality of polyolefins. In layered embodiments, the polyolefins may be laminated by heat, adhered together with adhesive, or chemically bonded together.

Referencing FIG. 10C, in a number of embodiments the composition from which the components 102 may be made may include a utility layer 120. In some of the embodiments, the utility layer 120 may include a markable surface such as a dry-erase board. In other embodiments, the utility layer 120 may include an attachment surface such as hook-and-eye fasteners (e.g., Velcro®). In addition, the attachment surface may include a surface to which common objects may be releaseably attached, such as Legos®. In still other embodiments, the attachment surface may be magnetic or configured so that magnets are attachable thereto. The utility layer 120 may be substantially coextensive with one or both sides of a component 102 or, alternatively, may cover a smaller area on one of the sides of a component 102. In addition, the utility layer 120 may provide a skin for printing graphics, text, artwork, and so on.

According to some of the embodiments, the composition of the components 102 may include an adhesion layer 122 as shown in FIG. 10D. For example, the adhesion layer 122 may include an adhesive so that two components 102 may be secured together by pressing the adhesive layers together. In other embodiments, the adhesion layer 122 may include material that is activated by heat. For example, the adhesion layer 122 may include material that has a melting point of above approximately 180° Fahrenheit (F), such as polyolefin.

Accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, two components 102 may be secured together by positioning or abutting the adhesive layer 112 of one of the components 102 against a surface of another one of the components 102, which may be another adhesive layer 122 (as shown in FIG. 11A) or a polyolefin layer (e.g., 112, 116, 118). Heat may then be applied to the adhesive layer 122 as shown in FIG. 11B, for example, with an iron or a blow dryer. Accordingly, heat causes a reaction of the adhesive layer 122 to adhere to the abutting surface. In contrast to the releasable engagement described above, the securing of components 102 by heat is a permanent engagement.

In other embodiments, heat may be applied by inserting a thin resistive element 124 as shown in FIG. 12. The resistive element 124 generates heat when electrical power 126 is applied. An example of a resistive element or heater is a flexible heating element produced by Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company of St. Louis, Mo. (www.watlow.com). To secure, the resistive element 124 is positioned between two of the components as shown in FIG. 13, and power 126 is applied, thereby causing the composition 112 abutting the resistive element 124 to melt. When the power 126 is disconnected, the composition 112 cools, thereby adhering the components 102 and the resistive element 124 together.

With further reference to FIG. 1A, one or more of the components 102 may include a plurality of retaining elements 106. More specifically, component 102 a may include retaining elements 106 a, 106 b, 106 c, . . . , 106 m, and may include a plurality of one or more specific types of retaining elements. In the specific embodiment shown, retaining elements 106 a and 106 b include puzzle piece-type of complementary structures, retaining element 106 c includes a three-sided slot, retaining element 106 d includes an elongated rectangular socket, retaining element 106 e includes a square-like socket, and retaining element 106 m includes a notch. As shown, component 102 a includes any number of any one of the retaining elements 106. In addition, any number of the retaining elements 106 may have a different configuration (i.e., rectilinear, curvilinear, size, shape, and so on).

According to some of the embodiments, one or more of the retaining elements 106 may be configured to be engageable with not only one but a plurality of other retaining elements 106 each having a different configuration. For example, retaining element 106 a of component 102 b may be compressed to engage with at least retaining elements 106 c, 106 d, and 106 e of component 102 a. Accordingly, in addition to constructing the predefined structures 104, the components 102 may be attached together in any number of random configurations.

EXAMPLE 1

As mentioned above, FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a set 100 of building components 102 that are configured to enable one or more predefined structures 104 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. To construct the predefined structure 104 a shown in FIG. 2, i.e., a table and chairs, reference is made to FIGS. 14A to 14F.

To construct a chair, components 102 g may be coupled together as shown in FIG. 14A for a base, with component 102 j forming a seat and component 102 h forming a back as shown in FIG. 14B. Components 102 i may be coupled between the back and the seat to provide added stability. A second chair may be constructed analogously.

To construct a table, components 102 a to 102 f may be laid out as shown in FIG. 14C. Components 102 a may be coupled to form a table top as shown in FIG. 14D, with components 102 b, 102 c, 102 e, and 102 f connected as shown to form a portion of a base. As shown in FIG. 14E, components 102 d may be coupled as shown to complete the base. The table may then be turned over to complete the predefined structure of a table and chairs 104 a as shown in FIG. 14F. As an example of scale, components 102 a that make up the table top may be on the order of about 3 feet to 4 feet for a table and chairs designed for a children's embodiment. In addition, the thickness of the components 102 may be on the order of a few inches so that the chairs can support the weight of a large child or even an adult.

To reconfigure or reconstruct the predefined structure of a table and chairs 104 a into another one of the predefined structures, reference is made to FIGS. 15A to 15G. As shown in FIG. 15A, with the table and chairs 104 a already constructed, the table may be turned on its side as shown in FIG. 15B, with one of the components 102 a being removed. As shown in FIG. 15C, components 102 c and 102 e may then be removed. Component 102 a that was removed may then be reconnected as shown in FIG. 15D. The chairs may be disassembled (not shown) with components 102 h laid out, along with components 102 k, 102 l, and 102 m as shown in FIG. 15E. Components 102 e may then be reconnected as shown in FIG. 15F, with component 102 k connected as a propeller shaft. Components 102 h from the chairs may be connected as wings as shown in FIG. 15G, with component 102 l being connected as a propeller, component 102 m being connected as a rudder or steering wheel, and component 102 n being connected as a tail fin, thereby resulting in the predefined structure of an airplane 104 b.

As shown in FIG. 1, the set 100 may include other components that are not used in construction of structures 104 a and 104 b, which are generally referenced as components 102 o, 102 p, 102 q, . . . , 102 z. However, these components 102 may be utilized in constructing any number of other predefined structures 104, including but not limited to a boat 104 c (including component 102 q as a propeller) as shown in FIG. 16, a car 104 d (with components 102 o as bumpers) as shown in FIG. 17, a fire truck 104 e (with component 102 z as a steering column) as shown in FIG. 18, a rocker 104 f as shown in FIG. 19, a cradle 104 g as shown in FIG. 20, a vanity 104 h as shown in FIG. 21, a lemonade stand 104 i (with components 102 p as flags) as shown in FIG. 22, and a castle 104 j (with components 102 p as flags) as shown in FIG. 23. Accordingly, the building set 100 may be configured so that the predefined structures 104 may include furniture (e.g., a table and chairs, a rocker, a cradle, a vanity, a lemonade stand, and so on) and play structures (e.g., a plane, a boat, a car, a fire truck, a castle, and so on).

Because of the resiliency of the components, additional objects may be coupled to the structures 104, such as flashlights 126 as shown in FIG. 17. As shown in the example, a number of the components 102 may be substantially planar. Accordingly, such planar components 102 may be cut from planks of polyolefin stock. The cutting process may be accomplished by a water-jet cutting device or by any other alternative cutting method. With particular reference to FIG. 16, component 102 a is illustrated according to the layered embodiment of FIG. 10B, with the first polyolefin layer 114 being a first color and the second polyolefin layer 116 being a second color. The third polyolefin layer 118 may also be a different color, or the same color as layer 116, which is shown.

Those skilled in the art will understand that the preceding embodiments of the present invention provide the foundation for numerous alternatives and modifications thereto. For example, as shown in FIG. 24, in a number of embodiments, one or more of the components 102 may be configured so that only the retaining elements 106 are resilient and compressible, while a main body 128 of the component 102 is substantially non-resilient. These other modifications are also within the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to that precisely as shown and described in the present invention. 

1. A building set comprising a plurality of building components; a first one of the components having a first retaining element and a second one of the components having a second retaining element; and at least the first retaining element including resilient material such that when the retaining elements are engaged together, the first retaining element is compressed and applies a spring force against the second retaining element, thereby securing the retaining elements together. 2-10. (canceled)
 11. The building set of claim 2 wherein the composition includes an adhesion layer.
 12. The building set of claim 11 wherein the adhesion layer includes adhesive.
 13. The building set of claim 11 wherein the adhesion layer includes material that is activated by heat.
 14. The building set of claim 13 wherein the adhesion layer includes a polyolefin with a melting point of at least about 180° Fahrenheit (F). 15-17. (canceled)
 18. The building set of claim 1 further comprising at least one of the components is made from a composition excluding polyolefin.
 19. The building set of claim 18 wherein at least one of the components made from a composition excluding polyolefin includes a retaining element that is substantially non-resilient. 20-36. (canceled)
 37. A method for building structures, the method comprising: providing a plurality of building components each being made from a composition including a polyolefin that has a melting point of at least about 180° F.; positioning two of the components together such that the components abut along an interface; applying heat at or near the interface that is sufficient to cause the polyolefin to melt; removing the heat such that the polyolefin cools, thereby adhering the two components together.
 38. The method of claim 37 wherein: the step of the applying heat comprises: positioning a resistive element between the components at the interface; and applying power to the resistive element. the step of removing the heat comprises: disconnecting the power from the resistive element.
 39. The method of claim 37 wherein the step of applying heat comprises: directing hot air at or near the interface. 40-42. (canceled) 